A Month of Fic
by Lisa Telramor
Summary: A collection of drabbles in multiple fandoms written to celebrate 6 years in fandom.
1. Dream -- Kingdom Hearts

_AN: To celebrate 6 years in fandom I did a month of drabbles. (or, well, ficlets using myquantumtheory's 30 day of fanfic word list. Plus a bonus day since I wrote all of March) Hope it's fun for people, it was enjoyable for me. :) I tried to touch on most of the fandoms I've written for, but of course certain fandoms are more prevalent than others..._

 **Dream** – **Kingdom Hearts**

The air flowed slower, each breath coming both too fast and too slow as his claws rent the air. They caught Heartless too, catching on tiny pockets of darkness and _ripping_ in a way that the Keyblade didn't. Shadows boiled like smoke as Red Nocturnes pulled apart into nothingness, red crystalline hearts spiraling skyward as they were released. The part of him that was Sora drifted. There was a certain nothingness that surrounded anti-form, like a dream or a long forgotten memory tickling his mind like déjà vu. His body moved, destroyed, pulled Heartless apart like a Powerwild in a frenzy, but the give beneath his fingers felt the same way trying to see through fog felt; distant and cut off. Anti-form was instinct, the little part of his brain that hungered for something that he couldn't name and tried to fill a void he wasn't conscious of. It struck and Sora tagged along, one step out of synch with himself until it all came crashing back together.

His mouth tasted fuzzy after, bitter from the dark, like waking up from a bad dream you were already halfway to forgetting.

Sora frowned at hands that had been claws and skin that had been roiling darkness. There was always a sliver of fear that next time he wouldn't wake up. (And inside, the part of him that remembered losing his heart felt the scar he'd been left with that hadn't been acknowledged and didn't feel surprised by the darkness at all).


	2. Lock -- Fullmetal Alchemist

It's funny sometimes how little Ed misses alchemy. He'd grown so used to having it, but the thing was, he'd always been using it toward something. Get Mom back. Get Al back. Stay alive. Stop Father. And now that he has Al, has stopped Father, has achieved what he meant to do… Well, he does still miss it, but he doesn't need to do alchemy to understand it or study it or build theories.

He'd half expected his memories of alchemy to be taken away with the ability, but they're all there. And inside there's this feeling, like coming across a locked door, that on the other side is his alchemy and all the Gate had done was lock it.

Ed doesn't try to get past it the way he picked the lock to his dad's study to learn alchemy years ago.

There are little moments when he wishes he could clap his hands and make things happen. The circles and calculations are balanced in his head, the mass and energy input, the chemical makeup clear in neat formulas as he tries to fix his coat or build a new barn. He misses it when he shatters a glass or when spring floods come around.

But Ed has two strong hands to build the barn and sweep up the glass and mend a hole, and one strong leg to go with the one Winry made. He doesn't need to poke at locks. Ed has everything he needs without its help.


	3. Bitterness -- Yu-Gi-Oh!

A bitter tang lingers among some of his happiest memories these days. Yuugi wouldn't change any of the choices he made to get here. He never regretted putting the puzzle together. It had brought him the most joy he'd ever known; friendship, adventure, and confidence that he'd lacked back then. If asked, he'd say his life is the better for all that has happened, the good and the bad. He wishes that he didn't know what it looked like to see someone die, or how it felt to be prepared to sacrifice your life—and have someone sacrifice themself for you. But those experiences are part of what brought him to the present he lives in now, so no, Yuugi doesn't regret them.

He doesn't regret Dueling Atem and winning either.

It felt a lot like being prepared to die for someone, even if the result was the opposite, Atem leaving him behind. But Yuugi couldn't keep Atem even if he wanted to because it wouldn't have been fair to deny Atem the chance of ever moving on.

No one knows what it was like to share a soul with someone else the way Yuugi had. Ryou has the closest understanding, but Ryou never found friendship and equilibrium with Bakura the way Yuugi did with Yami.

The days with Yami—Atem—were the happiest he'd had. Knowing what it felt to be whole and share that wholeness and lose it…

Nobody can blame him for being bitter it couldn't last.


	4. Photograph -- YuYu Hakusho

"Okay, now you all stand at the top of the stairs…" Shizuru waved her hand at their ragtag group, her cigarette limp in her lips. "If the two morons could quit fighting?"

Kazuma held his hands up quick, trying to look innocent. The brat, Yuusuke, stuck his tongue out. Little shit. At least the others were being cooperative. Kurama and Yukina and Keiko were all in place with smiles on their faces and Genkai was in the center for the picture even if she had a long suffering expression on her face rather than a smile. Whatever. Smiles were overrated and it'd be more accurate in looking back anyway.

"Where the hell is Hiei?" she asked.

"Ah, he said something about foolish human traditions," Kurama said.

Which meant he was still around or Kurama would have clarified. "Well get his ass in the picture. What's the point if he's not in it?"

Kurama smirked, there and gone so fast the others probably missed it. He was probably enjoying this shit. Why was everyone she knew an asshole? Okay, no, she knew why. Like called to like. Shizuru tapped her camera impatiently as Kurama gestured to a tree and Hiei fell from it with a muffled _fwump_ wrapped in vines.

"So nice you could join us," Kurama said with a sly grin. How the hell did her little brother think he was the nice one of his group? He didn't pick fights like Yuusuke or the shrimp, but he had a nasty sense of humor lurking behind his innocent façade.

Kurama pulled a glaring Hiei into the center of the group. He whispered something in his ear—Shizuru almost wanted to know what since it kept him from running when the vines were stripped off—but he only softened the death glares when Yukina smiled at him. Shit, no one could stay mad at Yukina. (She totally saw why her brother liked her, but she wasn't quite sure what Yukina saw in her brother…)

"Okay, so bunch up a bit—act like you can tolerate being around each other. There ya go." Now if Yuusuke could stop inching his hand toward Keiko's skirt and her idiot brother would stop elbowing Yuusuke in the ribs—ah, thank you Genkai. "Great. Now cheese or some shit."

Shizuru focused the camera as the morons grinned widely, Genkai and Hiei scowled harder, Kurama gave his stupid secretive smile, and the girls looked sincere. Good enough. _Click._ She took two more in quick succession. "Now you can go back to being stupid."

She clicked a few more pictures as Kazuma and Yuusuke immediately started poking at each other, Keiko turned to scowl at Yuusuke, and Hiei and Kurama said something to each other that had Kurama laughing. They'd like those a hell of a lot more than the nice, pretty, official bull crap.

She'd get the film developed and give Genkai the negatives.

"Oy, Shizuru, you need to be in a picture too!"

"Like hell." Brats.


	5. Forgiven -- Detective Conan

_It's not fair_ , Ran thinks, looking at Conan in the hospital bed. It's not Conan even if there's a child in that bed. It's Shinichi and for the life of her Ran wants to be furious. She is furious. She is so goddamn angry that Shinichi is going to be spending the rest of his life making up for the last two years of lies he put her through.

She's not just angry though, and that's the hard part. She's terrified, worried, exhausted, sad; a million little conflicting emotions she doesn't feel like putting names to that leave her feeling too full like each breath is going to make her lungs burst unless she screams or cries.

Ran does neither.

Shinichi has apologized twelve times, four times with tears, once with the words love involved as he stammered through explanations that felt like excuses.

He told her because she caught him in his lies, not because he trusted her or because he wanted to in that moment. It hurts that that is the only reason she knows. The danger is over now. And of course Shinichi is still Conan and will be Conan until a cure is made.

Knowing all this doesn't make the anger less. If anything it makes it worse because it is so much harder to stay angry at Conan, especially when he is injured. Even if she knows she forgives him already, she isn't ready to give up that anger yet. Ran sits, once more waiting.


	6. Blackout -- Avatar the Last Airbender

"You know," Zuko said years after the war had ended, "it always confused me a little that you chose an eclipse as an invasion time."

"Blocked sun, no bending," Sokka said with a shrug. He poked at the paisho game between them, but even years of Uncle Iroh's influence had never given Zuko much of a hand with the game, so it wasn't the most engaging game. "It made perfect sense."

"But eclipses, even total solar eclipses, are only a few minutes long." Zuko moved a tile. "And you couldn't think we didn't know about an upcoming eclipse. We take power from the sun like you do the moon, of course we pay attention to every eclipse."

Sokka shrugged again. "I admit that we were banking on you not realizing. But really, it was meant to be an assassination strike, and you don't really need more than a few minutes for that."

"Hmm." That made a bit more sense. "If eclipses were that useful though, we'd have taken advantage of lunar eclipses against the water tribe. But eclipses are short, location oriented and in the end, you're going to end up surrounded by benders when they end." Zuko shook himself out of memories. "Sorry, it doesn't actually matter anymore."

"Nah, it's fine." Sokka grinned, used to Zuko's tendency to obsess over something silently until bringing it up seemingly at random by this point. "What made you think of it?"

"Ah, there's a partial eclipse tomorrow."

"Huh. Cool. And no invasion."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I would hope not. And it's a _partial_ eclipse."

"Yeah, but even that can mess with bending." Sokka nodded like he actually understood bending and took one of Zuko's tiles, throwing Zuko's side of the board into complete disharmony. …Okay, Zuko supposed he was going to lose anyway.

He kept playing anyway, resigned to play to the bitter end as usual. "The eclipse is nothing to worry about," Zuko muttered. "I just was reminded—" He cut off as the electric light overhead flickered out.

"Speaking of things that go dark," Sokka said.

Zuko sighed. The electric lights that had been installed half a year ago were, so far, horribly unreliable. Thankfully every room was still stocked with candles. "This is the third time this week," he said. He moved easily through the dark room to pull a candle from storage. A warm flame flickered into existence with a bit of breath and chi.

"Y'know, I'm all for technological progress, but electric everything? Kinda skeptical," Sokka said, game paused while Zuko arranged the candle so they could see the board.

"I'm sure they'll work things out eventually." Everything had hiccups in the beginning.

"Yeah, but it's kind of hard to market something that works half the time you need it to." He paused. "Telephones are nice though. And the new radio thingy."

Zuko smiled to himself. "They have their uses." He breathed and the candle flame steadied its glow. "Now, back to our game?"

Sokka grinned.


	7. Morning -- DNAngel

From up high, Satoshi could see the sunrise perfectly, each warm ray of light stretching to paint the scenery below with golden warmth. Even from above, he could see the dew glow and steam into evaporation, giving the light a misty air. Dawn. A time he supposed he should connect to considering his familial name.

Hikari. Light. Of all the hypocritical, egotistical names for a family to choose, of course his clan had chosen 'Light,' like they were some sort of guiding force in an era of closeminded ignorance. Well, Satoshi supposed that their curse had more than paid for that arrogance.

His fingers twitched as the sun's light hit them where they poked out from behind shadows. Sunlight highlighted the rips in his jeans where he'd been flung into trees and made the dried blood on his fingertips look a rusty gold instead of almost black. Everything ached from Krad's battle the night before. His back felt raw and it was too much effort to try and move, drained as he was. The sunlight chased away the lingering chill in the concrete against his back and he closed his eyes against its brilliance.

Krad might be gold and white, the epitome of classic Light, but ironically Satoshi thought it fit Niwa better for all that Niwa hosted Dark and slid through shadows like he belonged. Niwa was warm, and Satoshi, the Hikari, was cold. Light should be warmth and growth and life, everything the Hikari weren't and Daisuke was.


	8. Bomb -- Magic Kaito

"Green," Saguru hissed, centimeters from Kuroba's face. _"Green_."

"Err…" Kuroba leaned away, inching back in his desk to put distance between them. "Yeah, I suppose you are kind of—"

" _GREEN_ ," Saguru repeated, almost spitting now. "And it couldn't be something tasteful like forest or fern green. No. It had to be _neon lime green_."

"I see you're upset," Kuroba started.

"Oh, whatever gave you that impression?"

"But," he said, still trying to inch back in his desk chair, "you seem to be taking your anger out on the wrong person. You're still operating under the mistaken—"

"Mistaken," Saguru echoed with scorn.

"Mistaken," Kuroba emphasized, "assumption that I am Kaitou Kid—which I'm not—so you should really put that anger into the next heist."

Saguru narrowed his eyes. "You know, Kuroba," he said, restraining himself into an abruptly civil tone, "if I remember correctly, your home address is listed in the class roster."

"Is that a threat?" Kuroba challenged, now leaning forward to confront.

"Why, Kuroba. I would never."

 _Bullshit_ , Kuroba's expression said. "You know," he muttered, "I'd put more effort into removing pigment from my skin than making empty threats."

"If there is another damn dye bomb anywhere near me or my wardrobe in the near future, any possible threats made won't be empty."

"Ooookay," Aoko said placing herself between them. "Hakuba, I have a list of things to try. Kaito, stop plotting pranks."

"He started it!"

"And I'll end it," Aoko grumbled. "You two are idiots."


	9. Funeral -- Princess Tutu

The thing was, Fakir thought, a hollow feeling in his stomach as he stood over a makeshift grave, it wasn't a surprise. Compared to a human, most animals had much shorter life expectancies. Ten years was a long time for a middle aged cat to live past—whatever age he had been before Fakir broke the spell. Neko-sensei hadn't been young when he taught them, and so it really wasn't so surprising that he died first.

The problem was that Fakir hadn't thought about the difference in life expectancies until that moment, and now that he did, he could only think about Ahiru, who was no longer the fluffy yellow duckling she had once been. In truth, he didn't know how long her life expectancy was or even what type of duck she was.

She was with him now, a few limp wildflowers clutched in her beak that she'd found somewhere. Fakir had found Neko-sensei that morning and brought him back to her pond. He'd dug the grave with her looking on, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking for once. If he ever had doubts about how much she understood or remembered, the flowers and the way she snuggled against him for comfort were proof enough.

"He was a good teacher," Fakir said, petting her brown feathers. He'd come back tomorrow with something for a grave marker. He'd write all their stories down again so that no one would forget Neko-sensei or Ahiru. They'd live forever that way.


	10. Proposal -- Natsume Yuujinchou

"There are two ways this can go," Matoba said, observing Natsume closely. "One, you assist me in exorcising this youkai before it actually succeeds in killing its target. Two, you act against efforts to exorcise it and get us all killed." He tilted his head with a cold smile. "Well? What will it be?"

His shiki loomed over them at Matoba's back, silent and unnervingly blank as ever. There were, Natsume was sure, infinitely more ways the night could unfold than a black and white dichotomy of help or hinder, but he was also aware that any action Matoba didn't view as helping would automatically make Natsume one more obstacle to be defeated in his perspective. Nyanko-sensei was quiet in his arms. "Ayakashi don't just attack without reason," Natsume said. He lifted his chin and squared his shoulders. "If we tried talking to it—"

"It would try to eat us," Matoba said, "like it has been trying to eat the children in the village. Perhaps the ones you have met do have some reason, but you're a fool if you assume all youkai have sympathetic motives or consciences to be swayed. This youkai is gaining power by eating lesser ayakashi and has moved on to human targets; why doesn't matter, the fact that it has caused harm to humans is enough to ensure its demise." Matoba held out a hand. "Surely you wouldn't wish that thing on a child."

Natsume would never, but killing? "Help me seal it instead."


	11. Announcement -- Hikaru no Go

"Hmm."

Hikaru blearily looked up from his morning cup of coffee at where Akira was reading Go Weekly. He was always a little jealous that Akira didn't seem to need caffeine in the mornings at all, just a light breakfast, a few minutes to get ready for the day and he was good to go. Hikaru hated mornings. "What is it?"

"There's an exhibit opening in celebration of Honinbou Shusaku's 180th birthday."

"Oh?" He perked up a bit at Shusaku's name.

"They've been working with pros to game analyses and breakdowns of how his games impacted Go technique." Akira passed the paper over. "It opens next week."

Hikaru looked the article over. It would be a mix of Go history, Shusaku's personal history, and cultural history for that time period. He always did enjoy looking into anything Shusaku related, something that Akira had picked up on over the years.

"I take it you're interested in going?" Akira asked, looking amused over his cup of green tea.

Hikaru stuck his tongue out at him getting an eye roll in return because Akira thought twenty one was too old for being silly. "Of course." He flicked through a few more pages, lingering on one. "There's an article announcing your winning the Oza title, and you bring up Shusaku?"

Akira sipped his tea. "You already know I won and you like Shusaku. I don't need an ego boost."

Hikaru grinned. Akira'd thought of him over his own achievements. Cute. "Love you too, Akira."


	12. Raw--Detective Conan

It's so easy for emotions to become muted. There's the shock of finding a corpse that's been dulled by repetition and the anger at the culprit that has worn down to resignation. Joy of completing a case is threadbare satisfaction; it's not exciting in the face of one more death among many. Even fear, once so sharp and all encompassing, has become watered down with exhaustion. The world feels gray and flat a lot of the time and Shinichi isn't sure if it's because the deaths keep coming like some sort of personal curse or if it's part of the side effects of being shrunk or if it's all in his head. There must be some sort of emotional threshold where they become too sharp and deep and so the mind stops feeling much at all in defense.

Shinichi's greatest fear is that, like all the other emotions that have been worn down, one day love will wear down too. Right now, it's Ran that keeps him hoping and feeling warm and human. If he ever stops feeling happy to see her happy or glad to have her near, he doesn't know what he'll do.

Right then every emotion is too strong. Guilt is heavy in his gut as he wipes a tear off Ran's face knowing he's going to have to apologize and leave in a few hours all the same. He hurts because he's made her cry again and it's always the last thing he wants to do.


	13. Drive -- Kingdom Hearts

Sora had only ever used the drive forms with Donald or Goofy, never really thought to try using them without them, and why would he when they were almost always around? But out searching a new world with Kairi and Riku while Donald and Goofy catch up with their duties in Disneytown is different than normal, and he's gotten used to using his drive forms.

He pulls on the power without thinking when three giant heartless loom over them, reaching for final form where everything feels balanced and right. Riku and Kairi give him a startled look and he realizes his mistake as he pulls on them.

It's different than with Donald or Goofy. It feels like final form—but more. He can feel Kairi's warm light and Riku's knife-blade dichotomy and he has three keyblades joining his around him. Kairi's Destiny's Embrace circles with Riku's Way to Dawn.

Sora feels like laughing and a little terrified because he just pulled _Riku and Kairi_ , that shouldn't be possible. But he doesn't really have time to think as the heartless attack. He reaches out to the keyblades around him, feels Riku and Kairi reaching with him, and they slam into their attacker in a devastating whirl.

It takes four blows to take out three opponents. Sora lets the dizzying power fade away back into Riku and Kairi.

"Holy shit," Riku says.

Sora doesn't have words for how good it felt to have them that close. He tackles them in a hug.


	14. Conclusion -- Yu Yu Hakusho

The penny finally ( _finally_ ) dropped during a group meal. Kazuma pointed at Hiei. "Oh my god, you're Yukina's brother!"

Hiei narrowed his eyes in the silence that followed. It was broken by Yuusuke cackling.

"Holy shit Kuwabara, you still hadn't figured it out?!"

"You knew?!" Kazuma rounded on the rest of the table. "You guys all knew and you didn't say anything?"

"If you hadn't run off to play white knight all those years ago, you'd've known too," Yuusuke laughed. "Oh my god, this is great."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Kazuma puffed up with anger and humiliation as Yuusuke kept cackling.

Hiei turned his glare on the Reikai Detective instead. " _Someone_ thought it was funny. And if I had my way, none of you would know." He flicked an almost apologetic look at Yukina. As apologetic as Hiei could manage at any rate.

Kazuma turned a hurt look at her. "You too?"

"Ah." She looked flustered, touching his arm in apology. "Nii-san had me promise. I didn't mean to withhold that knowledge unfairly…"

"I don't blame you!" Kazuma reassured her. He could never be angry at Yukina. Besides it was everyone else's fault. "Still, you'd think someone would have told me!"

"We thought you'd figure it out," Yuusuke said. "I mean hell, why do you think Hiei tried to kill you when you proposed to Yukina?"

Yukina blushed, fiddling with her sleeves and Kazuma almost got distracted by it. But no, he wasn't going to let this drop! "I thought he was just being protective."

"To be fair, it should have been obvious when he walked her down the aisle," Kurama said. "Not to mention the necklaces."

"The what?" Oh. OH! Those. "Wait, those match?"

Yuusuke started laughing again and Yukina sighed just a tiny sound that made him feel bad for not noticing. He squinted at Hiei. They're both kind of short and had the same eye color, he supposed, but beyond that they're nothing alike at all. "You guys all just kept waiting for me to notice didn't you? Some friends you are. I mean c'mon, they're nothing alike!" His darling Yukina, the shrimp's twin? It was like comparing a shadow to the sun. Or wait. There had to be a better image than that. Like a perfect flower and the worm churning the soil. Yeah. That was better.

Kurama was giving him a Look. Yukina had the fond, resigned smile she go from time to time and…yeah, he probably didn't want to know whatever they were thinking anyway.

"So," Yuusuke asked when he finally stopped laughing. "What made you realize now?"

"Huh?" Kazuma blinked and looked back at Hiei who had somehow managed to steal most of the food as he glared at everyone around him. "Oh, it's cuz Hiei's got the charm Yukina made last New Year's for her brother." Only the corner of it was visible from Hiei's sleeve, but he'd remember the cloth and the hand embroidery anywhere.

"Comment and die," Hiei growled.


	15. Imaginary -- Magic Kaito

Kaito would give just about anything to believe that magic wasn't real. Most of his life he hadn't thought it was. He was one of the people that made others believe it was possible, but it was all smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, and sheer hard work to build those illusions. But when you'd been mind controlled, shot at by someone under a spell, witnessed your classmate literally enchant every male student in your grade and then some, and were chasing after a mythic gem that promised to grant immortality, magic was one of those things that you came to accept as reality.

Sure, he'd witnessed Akako talking to Lucifer (he really hoped it wasn't _that_ Lucifer). Sure, he'd once had a robot try to replace his existence. Sure, he regularly performed tricks that ran just along the edge of improbable if not impossible. But even he had his limits on what he could find believable.

"So you're telling me that wasn't a hallucination."

Akako smirked, though he liked to think there was at least some sympathy in it. "No Kuroba, that wasn't your imagination."

"But Santa?" He scrubbed his eyes as if it would erase the image of the sleigh. Yes, he believed in the impossible, but really… "What's next? Unicorns? King Enma opening the pits of hell?"

"Well actually…"

He looked at her in horror.

She laughed. "I don't know about Enma, but I could probably find a unicorn. They're quite vicious."

"Lovely." He really hated magic.


	16. Delicate -- Fullmetal Alchemist

There are 372 interlocking pieces that make up the average automail limb, not counting the port. Most of these pieces are screws, wires, and tiny pivot mechanisms that allow for full articulate motion. Winry has studied each and every component since she was little, even before Ed needed new limbs, and as such can strip an automail pieces to its base components and build it back up again even more efficient than before it was taken apart.

Automail is a science. It is a tricky bit of medical work to attach artificial nerves to living ones, and an even trickier task to get the limb to send feedback in a way the brain can understand. Pressure, weight, and temperature are all necessary things to be capable of feeling for the safety of the user and most efficient use of the limb. But a limb can't be too sensitive because it's removable; there are limits to what a person should have to routinely endure just because their arm needs a tune up. But at the same time that automail is a science, it is also an art.

Beneath Winry's hands, she sculpts recognizably human limbs with intricate puzzle pieces that must move with little to no resistance among each other. It takes a delicate touch to settle wires that will function as tendons and a steady hand to solder in tiny pressure plates into fingers and toes.

Automail is a labor of love, so Ed had better damn well appreciate it.


	17. Honesty -- Avatar the Last Airbender

There is something inherently difficult about being honest with yourself. Zuko had learned it the hard way. No amount of trying and pushing and forcing oneself to fill roles will change your inherent nature. It will only make you miserable and depressed. The worst lies are the lies you want to believe. Because hope can be the worst and strongest power in the world. He'd hoped he could make his father happy. He'd hoped he could return to the Fire Nation by completing the terms of his banishment. He'd hoped his father loved him—hoped because even if he'd convinced himself it was true, there was always a little voice of doubt that hope smothered time and again. So yes, Zuko knows lies and the insidious sort that people tell themselves to avoid thinking about other hurts.

But he also knows how freeing it is to face those hurts and to accept them. Pulling away the lies burns, but it is a cleansing burn and he knows he turned out better for it.

Zuko isn't sure if calling Aang out on the lies he tells himself would make things better or worse. Aang doesn't linger on things. He hurts, and he lets that hurt go. The wind doesn't hold still but keeps flowing. And yet he's sure that at least part of Aang realizes.

There are moments when Aang will stop and change his course of action seemingly without conscious thought. A blow that would send a man off a cliff becomes a blow that pins against the mountainside instead. A wave of ice isn't left with living things stuck in it, but thawed at first sign the hostilities have ended.

Aang has never let go of himself in Avatar state since he faced the Fire Lord. His eyes glow but it is _Aang_ behind them, not some emotionless, instinctual spirit being. A spirit has never possessed him since the North Pole.

It's significant.

Zuko knows Aang values life—to an extreme that Zuko finds frustrating at times—but he also knows that Aang has taken lives. The North Pole was a massacre even if no one has spoken of it as such. It was horrible but it was forgiven. Aang has killed by dropping airships and launching tanks off mountains. He never had to look those men in the eyes or touch them directly with hand or bending, but he killed them all the same. Sometimes Zuko wonders if it wouldn't have been easier in the long run if Aang had killed them face to face. It only takes once to realize the lethality a human could hold. Yet another thing Zuko learned the hard way.

Not today or tomorrow, but someday Aang will reach a point where he can't lie to himself anymore. Zuko doesn't know what will happen then. There is blood on Aang's hands and he is sure that if Aang ever does realize he will come to Zuko. And Zuko will be there to understand.


	18. History -- Hikaru no Go

Five years ago, Akira met Shindou Hikaru at his father's Go salon and was defeated in a game of Go that changed his life. Five years ago, Akira chased Shindou and challenged him. He looks back at that time and his singlemindedness with some embarrassment, but not with regret. Chasing Shindou is not something he will ever regret. Four and a half years ago, Shindou's miraculous skills at Go vanished and broke Akira's world again. Almost four years ago he became a pro, leaving Shindou to chase him instead. A year and a half ago, Shindou stopped playing Go. Two months later he returned. A year and a half ago, Akira finally, finally got to see Shindou play as he should play. See him play at the level he remembered from that first meeting. See him replace that memory with a fixation on the future filled with games on that level together.

How many people realize that he and Shindou have motivated each other—directly and indirectly—for the better part of half a decade?

Shindou isn't the only Go player Akira has history with. With his life, Go players have had prominent roles in all his important moments, but Shindou is the only one Akira has felt driven by and had that drive reflected back with equal fervor. He holds these memories close knowing Shindou does the same. He sees it in Shindou's face across the board. _I know you_ , his eyes say, _I acknowledge you_. And Akira responds.


	19. Deal -- Princess Tutu

"You can be human," said the witch, "but it will come at a price."

 _"You can save the prince," said the old man, "but you must never confess your love or you will turn into a speck of light and vanish."_

"You will dance as no one has ever danced before or will again, but it will hurt like knives for every step you take. Your prince must marry you or else your heart will break and you will turn to sea foam. Once you change you can never return to the life you had before. Are you still willing to pay?"

 _"Tell me, little duck, even though you can never reveal your love, do you still want to save your prince?"_

"Yes."

" _Yes."_

"Then give me your voice in payment."

 _"Then take this pendant—but don't lose it. Without it you are just a duck, and you will be powerless to help anyone."_

So the witch cut out the girl's tongue and made her the potion.

 _So the duck took the pendant and became a girl._

A deal is a deal; the girl has her prince at her side, but though he treasures her, he doesn't love her. Her feet bleed when she dances for him, but she smiles for in those moments his eyes are on her alone.

 _A deal is a deal, and so the duck becomes a girl, and a girl becomes a princess. She brings the prince his shattered heart and asks nothing in return._


	20. Patient -- Dgel

Risa was a proactive person. If she wanted something, she said so, and if there was a way for her to get it, she went and did it. Would Dark have ever noticed her if she stayed at home or grouped with the rest of the fangirls? No! Riku thought she was being stupid chasing after Dark, but when it came down to it, Risa was the girl who knew Dark best. She knew some of the ways he snuck into the museum and that he didn't like to see others get hurt. She knew that he was a flirt but he didn't usually do more than that. She knew that for all Dark's boasting he didn't actually think too highly of himself… No one who truly cared for themselves would refer to themselves as a monster.

And she was sure that Dark wasn't human for all that he looked it. There were too many unexplained things that had happened even before she got kidnapped into another dimension for Dark to be normal. He had wings. He had unnaturally sharp reflexes and she was sure he had magic as well.

There were a lot of things Risa didn't know too, like how old Dark really was, or what he did when he wasn't stealing art and indulging a young woman by going on a date. She didn't know if the face she knew was even Dark's real face, though she thought it probably was. There was enough arrogance in his own abilities for him to wear his own face when he stole. She didn't know what Dark's goals were or his hopes or dreams or fears.

He had a secret, she was sure. A secret she had pieces to, gathered up bit by bit. They involved Hiwatari and Niwa and Riku, and if she let herself dwell on them, she was sure she could put it together. But that wasn't what Risa wanted. Piecing that knowledge together would be a breach of trust. Trust that Dark had put in her when he let the lines between his job and his personal life blur for Risa's sake. If she learned that secret it would be from Dark's lips, not through any sleuthing on her part.

Risa wasn't naïve, no matter what her sister thought. It wasn't likely that Dark could stay for long. He showed up maybe once a generation, stole, and vanished. That pattern wouldn't change for her.

So she'd appreciate the time she did have and make the most of it. She would keep chasing Dark at heists and getting glimpses of the world he belonged to. She'd take every moment Dark would give her and hoard it close to her heart and not regret a moment of it.

And one day Dark would leave. And Risa would wait—not pausing her life, not saving herself for him because that wouldn't be fair to either of them—because Dark would be back. And she'd greet him as a friend.


	21. Apology -- Natsume Yuujinchou

Words tripped on Natsume's tongue—he was only half aware of what he was saying; excuses, apologies, lies to cover up things he couldn't explain. He felt a stab of guilt when Touko still looked concerned. There was something else in that look, something he didn't want to examine too. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it. Not in her, and not the first time in other people. He'd seen it in Tanuma's and Taki's faces, on Natori's face when Natsume didn't tell the whole truth. Disappointment.

It left a sick knot in his stomach. His fake smile slid away. "Sorry," he repeated.

Touko reached for him and touched the bruise on his cheek and then the rips in his clothes where an ayakashi barely missed tearing into him. "The clothing isn't a problem, Takeshi-kun," she said. Her touch was gentle, like he thought a parent would be. _You can't afford to think of her like that._ "Are _you_ okay?"

"…It was just a fall. I'll be more careful next time." She didn't believe him, of course. Maybe this time she'd call him out on his lies. She still had never once shown any sign that she thought he was trying to get attention like the houses before.

Touko's hand lingered just above the bruise. "I have some ice for that. And we'll see whether your shirt can be sewn, ok?"

"Sorry," he said, a worn out litany that had lost meaning.

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're ok."


	22. Children -- Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Y'know," Jonouchi said looking around at the Duelists gathered for the latest tournament, "I never really thought about it but…Duel Monsters is marketed as a kid's game, isn't it?"

"I guess." Yuugi shrugged. "It reaches a pretty wide audience though. Grandpa sells almost half his card sales to teenagers or older though. Why?"

"Well…look." Jonouchi waved a hand at the crowd. "I don't see anyone under fifteen just looking around. So not really much of a kid's game."

"You're right." Anzu stood on tiptoe as if that would let her spot a child in the crowd. "Actually I think this crowd is older than the last tournament. There's a whole group of people over there old enough to be our grandparents."

"The marketing strategy is aimed at children to get their interest when they're young, and large tournaments with monetary prizes to keep their interest into adulthood," Kaiba said, appearing behind them. "Clearly it's working."

Jonouchi flinched. "Don't do that!"

Kaiba smirked.

"Isn't that a little mercenary?" Yuugi asked. "What about having fun?"

"It's business, Mutou. Of course it's mercenary." Kaiba smirked. "And as for fun, many people believe that healthy competition and chance at monetary reward are plenty fun. You wouldn't be here if it was boring, would you?"

"I suppose not," Yuugi said. "And it is fun."

"See?" Kaiba's smirk widened. "And this is why it's the perfect market strategy."

"Kaiba gets his kicks playing mind games with children," Jonouchi muttered to Honda. "Somehow shoulda seen that coming."


	23. Thunder -- Magic Knight Rayearth

The spell was one of Mage Clef's signature moves; using it was as good as stating that he was Lantis's teacher. The air crackled as the lightning strikes with a rumble of thunder. The monsters caught in its range shrieked and another small portion of Cephiro crumbled away.

It was almost possible to disconnect the memories the magic holds when faced with this broken, dying world.

But even if this world looked nothing like the Cephiro of his memories and the monsters were more misshapen than anything he once faced here, the scent of ozone and magic took Lantis back to simpler times when the spell first became his. A time when Mage Clef said the spell and Zagato first attempted it after him. A time when Lantis had not had the grasp of its power yet and his brother had practiced alongside him until they both felt the power flow freely.

His horse summon snorted, shifting as natural lightning struck nearby. The monsters were gone.

There was no appeal in returning to the castle, yet despite continued searching, he hadn't found survivors in weeks. He turned his horse back in its direction. In the halls was one of the Magic Knights.

What did they remember when they saw him use it? Had they seen Mage Clef use it? Or was it a memory of his brother, tied inexorably with his death? Lantis never asked. He didn't know what to say to them and he didn't really want an answer.


	24. Dinner -- Dragon Knights

Thatz hadn't planned to be a member of the dragon clan—the longer he was with them, he had to wonder if anyone actually planned to be part of them because there hadn't been anyone legitimately born into the clan the whole time he was there. Life plans aside, he couldn't say he regretted ending up there. Sure, there were irritating responsibilities and life threatening situations. Demon hunting was only fun if there was a reward involved. But the perks? Yeah, he couldn't knock the perks of being a Dragon Knight.

Like the food. It was a rare day when Thatz went hungry these days. If he wanted a feast? Heck yeah, he got that feast! Demon hunting was hungry work! And the Dragon Lord footed most of the bills.

It was a nice, relatively comfy life. Not that his life hadn't been pretty good before. Thatz was an awesome thief, thank you very much. He brought in just a big a haul as Kitchel ever did, and he'd lived comfortably off it. And yet…

He remembered before he became good at it.

Food was better than any riches, as anyone who'd gone to bed hungry one too many times would tell you. Which was why Thatz always spent what he got on food; use what you have when you have it to enjoy life for as long as possible. Rath got it. Rune didn't. He didn't need to know anything about their pasts to understand why. Like knew like.


	25. After -- xxxHolic

If asked, Doumeki would say that his first impressions of Watanuki were that he was loud, spastic, and annoying. Those first impressions never really went away even though Doumeki got to see Watanuki as more than that. Watanuki was loud, yes, but as loud and angry as his words often were, his actions contradicted them. He was thoughtful and self-sacrificing, empathic toward others' problems, and hardworking. He didn't cut corners and made food that was full of good intentions. He saw too much and held more questions than answers. He bent to whims even if he protested the whole way and could be remarkably short sighted.

Watanuki inspired a weird amount of loyalty for someone that was perpetually on the edge of a meltdown. Maybe it was because he was awful about taking care of himself, or maybe it was because he would cook the foods Doumeki liked even if he did complain. Either way, Doumeki couldn't help but get caught in his pull. They were friends in their own way. Seeing Watanuki get pulled under into all sorts of spirit things, Doumeki couldn't help but follow and protect him. It wasn't something he could explain with words; words were never his strong suit. At a gut level, he knew he couldn't see Watanuki self-destruct.

After Yuuko, though… After Yuuko, Watanuki wasn't the Watanuki that Doumeki knew anymore. There was no flailing or rants, just long stretches of awful silence. Anger had never turned Doumeki away. Neither did silence now.


	26. Blood -- Lagoon Engine

Cousins. Sharing 12.5% of genetic material on average. Mother's sister's son. Shared maternal grandparents. No matter how Yen lays it out in his head, the factual knowledge of 'cousin' fails to match up to Housui Ayato.

Maybe it's because he didn't know he had a cousin before Aya came to stay with them. His mom doesn't really talk about her family much after all. But _Aya_ knew about Yen and Jin and had followed their names enough to recognize Yen on their first meeting. Yen's a little guilty about it because he's always paid more attention to his father's family anyway; they're the gakushi chasing down rogue maga after all. His mother's family has nothing to do with Yen's day to day life. And yet now they do because Aya is in his life, in his home, and constantly in his mind.

He shares the same amount of genetic relationship with his aunt as he does his grandparents, but he's never met her or his mother's parents. Is that normal? He kind of wants to know more about them, but it never feels like the right time to ask. There are maga to chase, Jin to corral, books to read or homework to do.

It feels like the time in which he can ask is coming to a close. He can't explain it any more than he can explain his fascination with Aya. He'll make time, soon. There's too many questions building up in his head that Aya can answer.


	27. Believe -- Hunter x Hunter

It is three years and four months since Killua left and Gon found his father. Years in which Gon has reworked his life from the bottom up, reconnected with his father, traveled more of the world, and made new friends. He suspects he will always be making new friends because that is part of who he is, but he still keeps up with his first friends. Leorio calls every week to check in and Kurapika will send and receive messages when he finds the time. Gon sends them pictures of strange and interesting things he finds on his travels and fills his files with pictures of the people he's met.

He doesn't message Killua. Killua doesn't message him, though sometimes Alluka sends pictures when Killua isn't looking. Gon hears about Killua from Leorio instead.

It's a little weird to see and talk to Hisoka more than his best friend, but it was okay. It's something Killua needed and Gon had never been someone who lived on a set time span. They would meet up again someday. He's sure of it the way he was sure that he would become a Hunter and sure that he would find Ging.

Even if they don't talk for years, Killua is Gon's first and best friend, and Gon is sure that he is Killua's.

To meet again is a goal like finding Ging had been. One that will come in its own time, but one he will work toward. And they'll smile together again.


	28. Anxious -- Skip Beat!

Nervous fingers fiddled with the elaborate bow tied around the wrapped package. Kyoko bit her lip. "Are you sure this is good enough? What if she doesn't like it?"

"It's fine, Kyoko-chan," Yashiro said. He straightened one of the paper flowers Kyoko had taped around the room. "I'm sure Kotonami-san will like whatever you got her."

"Yashiro-san you don't understand!" Kyoko wailed, latching onto one of his hands like he was her only lifeline. "I've never celebrated a girl friend's birthday before! What if it's too much?" She blanched. "What if it's not enough? What if I should have made two dozen cupcakes instead of a dozen diet conscious gelatin desserts? What if Moko-san doesn't like gelatin? What if she gets angry and hates me?!"

Yashiro patted Kyoko with his free hand. "Calm down. Everything looks nice. It's just the right amount of decorations and food for a small group of friends." He tried not to look too uncomfortable as Kyoko looked at him like his word was gospel. He loved Kyoko like a sister, but she could get very…intense…about the smallest things. "You put thought and effort into this and Kotonami-san will appreciate it."

"You think?" Kyoko sniffed.

"Of course." Yashiro subtly wiggled his hand free. "Now get ready. Amamiya-san should be bringing Kotonami-san in a minute."

"Right!" Kyoko wiped her face dry and shoved her nerves to the back of her mind. It was Moko-san's birthday! It would be perfect! She'd make Moko-san smile!

When the door opened, Kyoko was ready with a smile and a shower of confetti. "Happy birthday, Moko-san!" she cheered.

Unfortunately it was Chiori who entered first, getting the confetti right in the face. She sputtered, batting it out of the way as Kanae looked around the room.

"Jeeze, what is all this?"

"Surprise?" Kyoko fidgeted as Kanae raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to make your birthday special…"

Kanae glanced at the paper flowers and the pretty arrangement of pale green gelatin. "You really didn't have to go to the trouble."

"But you're my best friend!" Kyoko said. "It has to be perfect! You said you liked lilac color so that's why the flowers are lilac and the green tea gelatin is only ten calories per serving so you don't have to feel bad about having some!" Kyoko dove for her gift and held it aloft like an offering. "And I made you a gift!"

Kanae edged back a bit from Kyoko's enthusiasm, but she reached out and took the small box from Kyoko's hands. It was wrapped in tissue paper with a painstakingly tied ribbon that looked impossible to undo. Thankfully it slid off. Kanae could swear Kyoko was literally holding her breath as she peeled the paper away. It almost made her smile. In the box was a delicate pendant made up of arcing wires and tiny rhinestones similar to Kyoko's Princess Rosa necklace. Kanae did smile then. "It's perfect. Thank you."

Kyoko launched herself into a full body hug. "I'm glad!"


	29. Regret -- Detective Conan

"Do you ever stop to wonder, Tantei-kun, what life would be like if you were born someone else?"

Conan couldn't make out Kid's expression with the mottled shadows of leaves and branches falling over them. He sounded wistful though, perched out of reach and nonchalant like he belonged in that tree and not like he was intruding on Conan's walk at all. "Not really," Conan said, playing along. Call it curiosity or detective instinct, there was something off about Kid's appearance tonight.

"Hmm." The thief's leg swung casually far above Conan's head. "I suppose it's one thing to live a different life for a while."

Was that a reference to Kid's disguises or to Conan's own situation? "What if scenarios like that don't do any good," Conan said cautiously. He couldn't read the mood or Kid's objective in this line of questioning. "You can't change your past."

"No. You can't." There was something wrong with Kid tonight. He was too open in his emotions, too subdued compared to what Conan had become used to dealing with. It didn't fit with his usual persona. More baffling was why he'd seek Conan out when he knew that Conan was likely to pick at any opening Kid gave away.

"I've wondered about if I'd made different choices before," Conan offered, sharing a small bit of his own vulnerability. Kid's leg stilled as he listened. "What if I had tried talking to certain killers as soon as I suspected them maybe there wouldn't have been a second victim, or what if I'd asked for help?" Kid might have been another shadow, he was so still. "I could go in circles with that line of questions after every case if I let myself, so I don't. I made the choice, things happened, and I can't take the choice back."

"But what about the things we don't choose, Tantei-kun? What about the things that we're born into?"

"There's always some choice," Conan said, thinking it through. He couldn't choose who his parents were for example, but he could have chosen how he reacted to them and their fame, or gone travelling with them instead of staying in Japan. "It's not like I was born a detective any more than you were born a thief."

Kid laughed softly at that. "I wonder."

Conan frowned. "Kid?"

"If you were born in my life and I was born in yours, would you be the thief and I the detective?" Kid mused. He shook his head. "Just idle thoughts."

Sure they were, Conan thought. There was always a point to Kid. He didn't do casual. "I think that at our core we'd still be ourselves no matter what life we were born into."

"Maybe." Kid's monocle glinted in the dark. "You're right about it being a pointless exercise though. We can't change the past."

"You can change how you act going forward though," Conan challenged. "Make choices so you don't repeat regrets."

"True." Kid tipped his hat. "I'll remember that."


	30. Expectation -- Magic Kaito

The human mind has the unfortunate ability to warp perception, Saguru reflects. In the distance, Nakamori-keibu chases a Kid decoy yet again. It is not because Nakamori-keibu is stupid or inept that Kid continues to escape month after month. In fact, Nakamori-keibu has adapted with each trick Kid unveils, weaving the net tighter and tighter with each heist in hopes of closing up the holes in his technique. If Kid had remained at the level of skill he started his heists with, he would have been caught. But Kid has also grown as time progresses, and that skill with an absurd amount of luck has allowed Kid to slip free time and time again.

Saguru observed it the first heist he attended, though, that Nakamori-keibu's experience blinded him to the thief's flaws. Of course Kid could skate in Nakamori-keibu's mind, despite evidence to the contrary, because Kid has been built up into a figure who does not make mistakes and is skilled in all he attempts. His perception is further flawed in the assumption that the Kid he chases now is the same man he chased nearly a decade ago. A false premise to base his plans around. Even a remarkably good copycat will not always have the same thought process or reach the same conclusions as the original.

On the other hand, Saguru arrived in Japan without these preconceived notions. Kid was a blank slate, and so Saguru could see clearer for it.

Expectations always tended to cloud reality.


	31. Reversal -- Magic Kaito

"Breaking and entering, Tantei-san?" Kid said from the shadows.

Saguru froze, one hand still on the safe he was attempting to crack. "Kid."

A soft swish of cloth accompanied Kid's step forward into dim moonlight. "I thought you had a stricter code of honor than this," Kid accused. "Or are you just a hypocrite?"

Saguru's lips pressed into a pale line. He stood, abandoning the safe. "I am well aware of what this looks like. However there are extenuating circumstances."

"Are there," Kid said flatly. He stalked closer, circling, cutting Saguru off from the window and any chance he might have of escaping; Saguru had no illusions that he could force his way past Kid if Kid wanted to keep him here. "You've been acting strange lately. Imagine my surprise when I check in on you to find you unlawfully entering someone's home."

"Even Sherlock Holmes admitted there were times when the law would not be able to reach criminals. Like the Charles Augustus Milverton case."

"Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character," Kid said with no discernable tone in his voice. Everything was unreadable, his face a blank mask and his body unnaturally still.

"I am well aware of that." There was a very real chance that Kid might turn him over to the police. Saguru was well aware of the irony of their situation. This would never have happened except for…he glanced back at the safe.

"The case of Charles Augustus Milverton was about a blackmailer, wasn't it?" Kid said, still toneless. "What might Morita-san have on you, Tantei-san?"

"At the moment, nothing." _After this?_ Saguru thought sarcastically. "I'm not here for my sake."

"Your father then?" Kid said, and interesting that he thought of Saguru's father as the next logical choice. "With his position of power, I'd think that he could cover up anything he wanted."

"No," Saguru said simply, irritated at Kid's assumptions despite the current situation. "The material in question is not a question of legality, and it is a stretch to say that it is morally questionable, but it would cause harm to someone I care about if it were to be released and Morita is too good at evasion to handle this through legal means. A search warrant could be obtained, but the moment he is aware of police eyes, any proof will vanish as it has with countless other blackmailing cases in the past." He looked Kid in the eyes. "I need proof, and I need to return whatever Morita is holding over people to them before any one of them would risk speaking against him openly."

Kid's blank face finally settled into a smile. It lacked the usual manic edge. "Interesting. Perhaps we're not as different as I initially thought."

"Excuse me?"

Kid waved a hand dismissively. "It looks like you have a choice here, Tantei-san. You can continue with your theft, and I'll let you leave without breathing a word about this to anyone."

"Or?"

"Or," Kid grinned, "I can use my notoriety to your advantage, steal the information for you, and you can go on with only having breaking and entering and allowing a thief to get away on your conscience."

Saguru stared. "But…why?"

Kid's smile turned sharp. "I dislike people who profit off the misfortune of others. I might be a thief, but I am not someone who enjoys causing harm. People like that deserve every bite the law can take from them."

Dislike alone didn't justify taking the blame for Saguru's actions though. It had to be something more, something personal or…

As if seeing where Saguru's thoughts were headed, Kid raised an eyebrow. "You prefer your morality to follow the law."

"It doesn't always," Saguru admitted. It felt like uttering a dark secret despite it being something he had come to terms with years ago. Perhaps it was because it was Kid that he said it to. "If it did, I never would have called you about Chat Noir."

"Hmm." Kid studied him before turning his attention to the safe. "You know, I'm impressed you made it this far."

"You didn't think I spent this long chasing you without learning anything, did you?" One couldn't study Kid's methods and follow his line of thought without first being able to think along the same lines. Saguru had approached breaking and entering like Kid would have, and it had gotten him to this point smoothly even without the same level of skill and acrobatics in his repertoire.

"I'm flattered." Kid smirked and reached for the knob. It took his less than twenty seconds to unlock it. It would have taken Saguru at least five. "Voila, Tantei-san." Inside were a range of items, from memory sticks to printouts, to recording devices and film negatives. "Your spoils."

This was only one of Morita's homes, only one location that he kept his proof, some undoubtedly backed up on computers, but it would have to be enough.

"Thank you," Saguru said. He crouched in front of it. What he was here for could be anywhere, though he bet it would either be with film negatives or on one of the memory sticks.

"He'll know you were here," Kid said conversationally. "He'll cover his tracks and cut his losses."

If he realized things were missing, yes. Saguru had learned more than breaking and entering from Kid. He opened the bag he'd brought with him. Inside were decoy memory sticks and film. Kid laughed.

"I know this won't work very long," Saguru said, "but it might give me just enough time…"

"Of course." Kid waved a hand theatrically. "And you're sure you don't want me to steal it?"

"I won't lose sleep," Saguru said drily.

"I hope Baaya appreciates the lengths you're going to," Kid said after the decoys were placed and they snuck away.

Her daughter would. Saguru neither confirmed nor denied anything.

On Monday morning, a neat packet of surveillance data appeared on Saguru's bed. He'd find a way to thank Kid eventually.


End file.
